Kenny Smith Wasn’t a Star. TNT’s ‘Inside the N.B.A.’ Made Him One.

TORONTO — Kenny Smith hasn’t shown up to an “Inside the N.B.A.” production meeting in almost 20 years.

“What’s going to happen in a basketball game that I haven’t seen, heard, been part of, or know someone that’s been part of it?” Smith said as he walked through the hallways of Scotiabank Arena before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Smith, 54, was wearing a black turtleneck and a blazer, thick glasses with a clear frame and a heavy coat of swagger.

“They used to tell me, if you were an announcer, you had to wear a white shirt,” he said. “They’re like, ‘Why don’t you wear white shirts?’ I said, ‘Because I don’t wear white shirts all the time with my suit.’ That’s not me. As simple as that.”

This month will conclude the seasons of two of the greatest television franchises in history, ubiquitous shows that have changed the medium for good. They’ve mixed politics, comedy, unpredictability, occasional explosions of emotion and larger-than-life personalities. One is “Game of Thrones,” which had its series finale on Sunday. The other is “Inside the N.B.A.,” which produces pregame, halftime and postgame segments for basketball games on TNT during the regular season and the playoffs.

For the last two decades, Smith has co-starred on “Inside the N.B.A.” — doing, saying and wearing what he wants — and has created one of the most remarkable second lives a professional athlete will ever see. Smith is the foundation of a show that has evolved from a source of generic basketball analysis to a cultural influence with reach far beyond the court.